Kamala Harris, Joe Biden To Take Oath Outside US Capitol, Urge People To Participate From Home

United States President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office outside the US Capitol building on January 20, 2021, in a ceremony with a limited audience. The inauguration committee appointed for Biden -Harris swear-in ceremony wants to craft an event that captures the traditional glory of the historic ceremony while complying with COVID-19 restrictions. Keeping that in mind people have been asked to partake in the ceremony from their homes, instead of coming down to Washington DC.

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Biden's team released some details on Tuesday for the January 20 event. So far, there is no confirmation on whether outgoing President Donald Trump will participate in the inauguration ceremony, as is the tradition, or not.

“The ceremony's footprint is going to be very limited, and also the parade that follows is going to be redefined,” said the committee in charge of the inaugural ceremony in a statement, further adding that Dr David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner has been appointed as the chief medical adviser for the inauguration.

“The pandemic continues to have an important public health impact across the nation. So, we are urging individuals to participate in the inaugural ceremony from their home to not only protect themselves, their families and friends, but communities as well,” said Dr Kessler.

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Biden and Harris won the 2020 US Presidential elections that were held in November after much anticipation, which made latter the first black person, first woman, and first woman of Indian-American origin to be elected as a US Vice President. “I will be the first, but I will not be the last,” Harris said in her speech after winning the 2020 elections.

The two were jointly named as Person of The Year by TIME Magazine last week. 56-year-old Harris was also named among world’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes for 2020. Speaking about her plan of action once she takes up US Vice President’s post, Harris told TIME, “We are in the midst of an economic crisis that’s being compared to the Great Depression. A long overdue reckoning on racial injustice. And a climate crisis. We have to be able to multi­task, just like any parent or any human being does.” Read more about it here.

Image Credit: Mother Jones

Vanshika is an Intern with SheThePeople.TV.